


You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

by MelodeeKS99



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-21 00:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13729680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodeeKS99/pseuds/MelodeeKS99
Summary: Rey and Ben, two Hogwarts students, met in their second year and quickly connected, but when Ben learned that Rey was Muggle born he knew they could never be together. His strict, pure-blood grandparents would never allow it and had already abnegated his parents for joining Dumbledore.  They took him in after the death of his parents in the war and swore never to let their family be torn apart again.  Unfortunately, forgetting Rey became just as impossible as the relationship must be.





	You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [solikerez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/solikerez/gifts).



    Ben stepped up into the train and scanned the compartments quickly, passing even those not completely full, hoping to find one empty.  Rey stood on the platform below, saying goodbye to her family and waiting for his signal. 

Fellow Ravenclaws wanted Ben to stop and say hello, or join them to chat, but he had a purpose - a goal - and good reason to accomplish it.  He continued down the narrow walkway until he found an empty compartment.  He stepped in quickly, closed the curtains to block off the inquiries of nosy students, and opened the window.

“Goodbye!” he called to his grandmother and uncle.  They smiled up at him proudly and his grandmother blew him a kiss.  He bent all, but two fingers, then made a fist and lifted two fingers so signal that he was in train car twenty-two and Rey smiled.  She said her final goodbyes then entered the same train car as Ben, from the opposite side.  She knocked on the door twice swiftly as Ben closed the curtains to the outside.

Earlier, he’d made the excuse to family and friends that he’d been studying late and hoped to sleep on the train, alone, so his close friends didn’t look for him and his family wouldn’t question why he would close the curtains during a trip with such lovely scenery.

He unlocked the compartment door and stood hidden as it opened. Rey pushed it shut before anyone could see her enter and locked it quickly.

“You were right!  Every year we have to get here earlier for an empty space.  Most compartments were already occupied.”

“Shut up!” Rey said, stepping closer, grabbing his head and kissing him firm, but with stable patience.

Ben tried not to smile as they kissed, but he was humored by her behavior and had to pull away to laugh. "I missed you," he said.

"I missed you too. Why do we have to keep this a secret? It's our sixth year; aren't you grown enough to tell your family to get over it?"

Ben shook his head, averting his eyes sadly. "I'm sorry, but you just don't understand."

"You're right! I don't!" she said angrily, turning away from him.

"Hey, don't be mad," he said gently, reaching to pick the hair off her should and letting it slip from his fingers.  “This will be the longest we get to be together for a while.  Let’s not waste it fighting.”

“I just… I wish we could at least meet up during the holidays. I only had one trip this summer.  I wouldn’t say I was bored the rest of the time, but I would have preferred to be with you,” she said sweetly, running her fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry.  My family keeps us tied up.  Come here,” Ben said, sitting against the wall with one leg across the bench and sitting her between his legs.  He kissed her and they were connected this way until the trolley lady knocked loudly from beyond their secret meeting place, offering food and treats.

Ben bought them sandwiches and a dessert, then they ate and talked for hours, wishing this ride would last forever. 

In their seventh year, this covert-type of meeting was impossible.  The Death Eaters were searching the cabins for Harry Potter and there was no way for them to stay locked away.  Especially since the people monitoring them were the exact people they had to hide their love from.

 

Ben's family were pureblood witches and wizards.  Any member of the family who even showed interest in someone whose blood was “impure” - not to mention a Muggle-born witch like Rey - was immediately disowned. He knew his family was prejudiced, but they were also his family, and he refused to disappoint them. Ben's parents abandoned his family before he was born, joining Dumbledore and dying in the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

“Your parents would still be alive if the those Muggles had just stayed with their own kind!” His grandfather would declare, often and in any setting.  Most times people would look at him nervously, and turn away, but sometimes someone would agree passionately and they would discuss it at length.

Ben believed he was with them, one hundred percent.  Then, one day in his second year at Hogwarts, he met a girl named Rey.  She was powerful, intelligent, and an excellent flyer.  He thought she must be pureblood and approached her to introduce himself.  

Rey was flying her broom over the Quidditch pitch, captivated by the way the wind blew by.  It reminded her of her childhood, taking long road trips with her family and sticking her head out the window to feel the wind on her face.  She had seen movies of witches and wizards and loved the idea of flying a broom, high in the sky, but she never imagined it was actually possible.

She spent all her free time, in her first and second years at Hogwarts, flying.  One day, about halfway through their second year, a young man named Ben Solo waited for her at the entrance to the pitch and introduced himself.

“You fly really well,” he said, his raven hair falling across one eye.  He pushed it back, blushing and peeked at the sky shyly.

“Thanks!” Rey said, short of breath.  She pulled a wand from her back pocket and pointed it across the pitch. “Accio water bottle,” she said firmly.  She handed her broom to him casually, still pointing her wand, and used her other hand to capture the bottle flying at her.

Ben was clearly impressed and she watched his eyebrows raise as she drank from the bottle.  

“What’s your name?” She asked, looking him over.  He was tall and broad and she thought he might a couple years older than she was.  It was a warm day in March, so he wasn’t wearing robes, but had a white button up with the sleeves rolled to above his elbows, black shoes and pants, and a tie of dark blue with silver stripes: Ravenclaw.

“I’m Ben.  What’s yours?”

Rey untucked her scarlet and gold tie from inside her shirt, smoothing it down over her chest to display her Gryffindor pride and answered, “I’m Rey.”

“Do you play Quidditch?”

“No, I never have. Plus, it would be difficult to get on the Gryffindor team.  We are the best.”

“Well, I don’t know.  I hear Slytherin will give you a challenge this year.”

Rey scoffed.  “Doubt it.”

Ben chuckled.  “You’re right.  In fact, I can’t stand those guys.  I hope we all crush them.  Anyway, would you like me to teach you?  I see you here all the time and I enjoy being here as well.  If you’re interested, I would love to help.”

Rey smiled widely.  “That would be great. Yeah.”

“Great.  Then, would you like to meet here, tomorrow? After Potions.”

Ugh, right.  They have Potions tomorrow.  Although, the thought of having a class with Ben, even Potions with Snape, seemed to give her less grief than it had before.

“Perfect.”

“I’ll meet you at the front of the school.  We can walk down together.”

Rey blushed and nodded, then turned away from him to go to the locker room, trying not to look back.

They practiced together for weeks.  Each had friends in school, but no one close.  Rey didn’t know anyone and Ben had been brought up in a strict, sheltered home.  They connected well over their love for flying, reading, and a shared propensity for doing well in school; to impress their families and to be successful following their education.

One day, after weeks of spending all their free time together, a Slytherin girl named Pansy Parkinson approached Ben.  Instead of meeting in front of the school, Ben and Rey had begun walking straight from class to the Quidditch pitch, but on this day, Rey lagged behind to speak to their Potions professor while Ben waited in the hall.  

__ “So, Ben… been spending a lot of time with that  _ Rey _ girl, I noticed,” Pansy said in her usual, shrill voice. He didn’t like her tone, and never truly liked her either, but her parents were friends with his grandparents and they were forced together throughout their lives, to Ben’s dismay.

“Uh, yeah. She’s nice.  I’m teaching her how to play Quidditch.”

“And, did you ever wonder why she doesn’t already know?” Pansy asked, smirking wickedly.

“I just assumed her family wasn’t into the sport,” he shrugged.

“Awe, poor Ben. So sheltered. So naive,” she brushed her hand across his shoulder.  “You’d better hope your grandparents don’t find out you’ve been spending all your time with a Muggle-born.”

Ben’s heart sank and his body felt battered as he bent forward.  He gaped after Pansy who walked away with a quick wave.  She joined her friend, Draco Malfoy - another friend of the family - at the corner, stuck her bottom lip out, mocking his pain, and then they disappeared, cackling cruelly.

“But… I didn’t know!” he called after her.  “Please, don’t... tell anyone.”

His heart seemed to have risen from his stomach with a vengeance and he panted, looking left and right, wondering if someone had already discovered this news and alerted his grandparents. He had to end this friendship, now!  

He pulled himself upright and took several steps down the hall toward the Ravenclaw tower, but something stopped him before the Potions classroom was out of sight.  He spun around to find Rey standing just outside, looking for him.  Their eyes met and she looked confused, then hurt when she realized he was fleeing from her.  Her face dropped and he almost cried, but he couldn’t have a scene.  He pulled on the strap of his satchel to secure it on his shoulder, then turned back and fled from sight, heading for the Owlery.

That night, Rey sat in her chambers, high above the rest of the school.  She had cried for hours, confused and without any closure to the end of her friendship with the only person she had connected with at this school for two years.  She stared longingly at the grassy slopes outside the school, and even further to the Quidditch pitch, and wished she could go out and just fly, but it would never be allowed.

Then something happened she had not expected: a tawny Horned owl tapped impatiently at the window right by her face, causing her to flinch before quickly reaching for the window latch. 

He was Ben’s owl, but was nothing like his kind owner.  An unfriendly beast, with large ear puffs that looked like angry brows, and reminded her of an owl in a cartoon who was always grumpy.  He only worked for food so Ben had supplied her with a case of treats so he wouldn’t peck at her cruelly after delivering letters. This didn’t always work and she was frequently required to use magic to defend herself. His grandparents had bought the owl from an American trader who claimed Horned owls were the best at catching rodents, then sent it with Ben when he left for school as a gift.

“What is it, Huxy?” Rey asked, distracting the bird with a rabbit leg and untying the scroll.

* * *

 

**Dearest Rey,**

**I cannot take back what happened today and I don’t wish to, but I can’t leave you without an explanation.  After what I’ve allowed for so long, I can’t simply abandon you without telling you why we can’t be friends.**

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh. We  _ can’t  _ be friends?” she said, glaring at his flawless scrawl.  His penmanship was impeccable, even when he wrote in a hurry, while hers invariably resembled something Huxy might write, if they could teach him how.

 

* * *

 

 

**Today I  learned you are Muggle-born, and while I don’t think that affects your abilities as a witch - you’ve proven yourself more than capable - it does mean that I am not allowed to be your friend.**

**I was raised in a pureblood household with severe rules about avoiding Muggles.  If my grandparents were to learn that I’ve befriended someone who is not pureblood, they would surely disown me… and they’re all I have left.**

**I never told you about my parents, because it’s a sore subject and a great source of pain for my family.  My parents joined Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix back in the days of darkness.  My grandparents did not agree with Voldemort’s cruel ideas of ethnic cleansing, but for my parents to defend the Muggles was a betrayal to their kind.  My grandparents had to disown them or they would lose everything they knew; their  jobs, friends, family… everything that mattered.**

**When my parents were killed, my grandparents took me in and swore never to let our family be torn apart again.  They raised me to deplore anyone not pureblood.**

**You have opened my eyes to how prejudice can lead people down a path of hate, blinded by ignorance, and I don’t want to be that way.  Therefore, I’ll never despise you for being Muggle-born and I will never let that affect my opinion or treatment of a person ever again, but for the sake of my grandparents - for my family - I cannot be your friend.**

**Thank you for all the wonderful times.  I will miss you.**

**Sincerely,**

**Ben Solo**

 

* * *

 

  
Rey read the letter more than once: she wasn’t sure how many times, but she knew it was important and needed to time consider.  Finally, she dropped the letter on her bedside table, shooed Huxy out of the window, extinguished the lamp, and climbed into bed.

Yet, after hours of rumination, and without sleep, Rey rose from her bed, lit the lamp once more, and pulled out her ink and quill to respond.

 

* * *

 

_ Dearest Ben, _

_ I don’t care what your family thinks.  You are my best friend and I don’t want to lose you.   _

_ BUT, if you want to be a cowardly little monster, so be it! _

 

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Rey Niima _   
  


* * *

 

She rolled the parchment, tied a ribbon around it, and placed it beside Ben’s letter, planning to mail it before classes the next day.  At least she could avoid seeing him for the next couple of days.

All the halls they once traveled, out of the way, just so they could pass the other and find excuses to talk, they stopped taking, instead returning to their normal routes.  The gloomy weather made it impossible to fly or play Quidditch as a distraction, so they took their time with their homework, trying to ignore urges to connect.

This didn’t always work, and though they both claimed they would never speak to the other again, they wrote letters daily.

 

* * *

 

**Dearest Rey,**

**Although I understand your anger, I don’t believe there’s reason to be cruel and call names.  I’m really sorry and I hope you’ll be able to forgive me one day....**

 

* * *

* * *

 

_Dearest Ben,_

_I’m sorry for calling names.  I was upset and exhausted.  I couldn’t sleep after reading your letter._

_BUT, why should calling you names matter if you wish for us not to be friends?_

_Do you really have to do this Ben? Isn’t there a way we can still be friends?  I keep telling myself to let go and walk away, but then I’ll remember some wonderful conversation we had and how happy I feel when we’re together - or I see your sad eyes in class and my heart practically breaks, and I wonder why we can’t try.  We could at least continue to communicate, even if we can’t be together…._

 

* * *

* * *

 

**Dearest Rey,**

**It would be nice if we could still communicate, but it would be too risky.  What if someone found out?  Plus, it would still be a betrayal and I wouldn’t feel right about it….**

 

* * *

* * *

 

_ Ben, _

_ That’s too bad. I really thought what we had was special. _

_ By the way, how’s your buddy Malfoy doing? Saw you two together today. Gosh, I can’t believe all that crap you talked about Slytherins when you were really one of  **them** all along.   _

_ I can’t believe I was ever friends with such a vial, disgusting person. Thank you for running like a coward from our friendship before I learned who you truly are. _

_ Give yourself a pat on the back.  You’ve really made a great decision, abandoning me to hang with the snakes. _

 

* * *

 

**Rey,**

**I can’t believe we’ve been friends for so long and I never realized you were so hateful.  Fine!**

**You think purebloods are monsters, then I’m a monster.  I think half-bloods are low and pathetic.  I think purebloods who marry Muggles are traitorous trash, and Muggle-borns have no right practicing magic!!!**

 

* * *

 

The once beautifully inked messages became ugly and she was disgusted by him.  He couldn’t blame her.  He was disgusted by himself.  He had not meant one deplorable word of it, but the communication had to end and he was successful.

* * *

 

_ Problem solved. I will argue no more.  I no longer wish to be your friend or to have anything to do with you.  Have a nice life. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Rey Niima _    

 

* * *

 

And that was all there was between them, for two years.

  
  


On the last day of school in their fourth year, as they waited on the platform for the train, Ben could hear Malfoy spitting some sort of bias nonsense to his friends.  Though Ben tried to ignore it, and Pansy’s cackling, which usually accompanied the filth, it was practically impossible.

“Don’t forget Rey,” Pansy giggled, when Draco Malfoy said something about the ‘trash’ they were forced to attend school with as long as Dumbledore was in charge, and naming several Muggle-born students, loud enough for everyone to here.

Ben suddenly felt even worse for using that word and he sneered at them, then looked for Rey, hoping she had not heard the reminder.  It was easy to find her in the crowd; she was taller than most girls and he was one of the tallest in their school.  

He sighed with relief when he saw her talking to a fellow Gryffindor, not listening to the Slytherins nearby.  Ben hoped they would drop the subject when they realized they weren’t getting attention for it, but feeling particularly spiteful this day, Draco decided to take his anger out on Ben.

“OI! BEN!” Draco bellowed, his white blonde head spinning to search for Ben. 

_ What I wouldn’t give to be short right now, _ Ben thought wishing he could try to duck down and slip away from them.  His dark hair would match perfectly with all the robes, if he was actually able to crouch low enough.

“What?!” he asked, his tone more confrontational than he intended.  

Draco noticed this and was pleased.  His eyes widened momentarily, then he smiled and sauntered forward, still talking much louder than necessary.  “You were once friends with that Mudblood Rey, right?  What did you guys talk about?  I hope you didn’t let her touch you.” Malfoy made a disgusted face and waved his hand floppily in the air.

“Back off, Malfoy.  I’m not in the mood,” Ben said quietly, his voice a low rumble.

Rey turned in response to his voice, along with most of the students standing nearby.  They were pleased to hear someone standing up to Malfoy, but were somewhat let down when Draco responded in way they believed was congenial.

“No, don’t be offended.  You didn’t know, right?!”

Ben shook his head, not only in response to the question, but because he hadn’t sought this conflict and wished to be left alone.  Draco, on the other hand, thirsted for confrontation and continued to provoke him, believing he was safe, as long as his cronies were nearby to protect him.

“Well, I mean, I would never even accidentally become friends with a Mudblood,” Draco began, Ben flinching at the word, “but, my parents weren’t traitorous imbeciles, so I guess you come by it honestly.”

Ben’s fists clenched and anyone could see his jaw tense as he peered down at Malfoy, but he couldn’t let this idiot get the best of him.  Not only would he be in trouble for fighting with another student, but it would betray the trust his grandparents had in him. He had not completely made up his mind until he instinctively looked up at Rey, his eyes anguished, and knew there was no way he could fight Malfoy.

At that he gulped, raised his chin, and looked at a random girl beside him.  She was a Ravenclaw and he smiled as her large eyes stared up at him.  “Hey, Luna,” he said as calmly as he could manage, deciding to pretend the exchange with Malfoy never happened and the Slytherins weren’t still standing directly in front of him.

“You’re so tall,” she said dreamily, causing the others to laugh at them.  Then she added, “Those boys are lucky you’re ten times cleverer than they are.  With your size, and your magical skill, you could knock them all down with ease, but you’re smart enough not to pick fights at school, like...” she leaned closer, “that willy,” she whispered, nodding sideways at Malfoy.

Ben smiled and several people around them yelled, “Oooooh,” loudly, alerting Hagrid to their dispute.  He saw the general stance and behavior of Draco and his gang, and approached quickly.

“What’s goin’ on here?” he yelled as the crowd parted before him.  “Malfoy, shove off!” he commanded, standing between Ben and the other boys, waving his arms and forcing them to the other side of the platform.

Ben saw Rey peeking around other students to see him and he tried to smile, but it looked more like a pained grimace.  She continued to glance at him for several minutes, until her friend finally finished gossiping, and she excused herself to go to him.

They faced each other silently for a minute before she finally said, “Why didn’t you defend yourself?  They insulted your parents!”

Ben shrugged, still not sure they should be speaking to each other.

“Well, if someone talked about my family like that, they’d be dust under my feet right about now, I’ll tell you that,” she said, turning so they were standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the tracks.

Ben still did not respond, but that didn’t deter Rey.

“I’m sorry for the horrible things I’ve said to you.   You were my dearest friend and instead of trying to see your side, I berated you.  My parents don’t care who I’m friends with, as long as I’m still the good person I am and don’t let it affect my life in a negative way.  I can’t imagine being raised the way you were, with so much prejudice and ignorance.  I mean, that doesn’t excuse you for feeling that way now that you know better, but still...  what a sad way to grow up.”

“Are you just going to stand here and talk to me?  I don’t need your forgiveness.  I just need to be left alone.”

“I’m not offering forgiveness. I’m trying to apologize.”

“I don’t need your apologies for my ‘sad,’ ‘ignorant,’ childhood.  I had a wonderful, happy childhood and I love my grandparents.

Rey shrugged.  “It still makes me sad.  Anyway, I can see now that you’re no friend of Pansy’s and the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so… you can keep ignoring me, but… well, you can’t ignore the truth.”

“So, we’re friends again?  Even though I’m not allowed to talk to you in a friendly way?” He rolled his eyes and tried not to smile.  Her logic was demented, but humorous.  

She noticed his lips moving in an awkward way as he tried not to smile and she couldn’t contain one herself.  “Well, we’re not enemies,” she said, remaining beside him until the train arrived.

 

As they boarded the train, Rey rushed forward, grabbing an empty compartment at the back and when Ben walked by, she grabbed the arm of his robes and pulled him in, locking the door behind him.  Ben stumbled, tripping Rey, and they fell to the floor, laughing hysterically until they couldn’t laugh any longer.

“Why did you do that?” he asked, pulling himself up, then extending his hand to her.  

When they were both on their feet they sat back on either side, facing each other with red faces and teary eyes.

“I want to spend time with you, but it has to be a secret, right?  No one saw me come in here and hardly anyone saw me yank you in, though some may have heard us laughing.  Anyway, this is perfect!  At school it seems like there’s nowhere to hide, nowhere we can be alone.  But on the train, we have this lovely, comfortable space and several hours to waste.”

Ben smiled, only to suddenly frown. Rey looked at him with sympathy. 

“Ben, please.  I know you don’t want to betray your grandparents’ trust, but consider your actual parents.  They died so people like me could be at school with people like you.  They died so you and I could be friends.  Don’t you want to honor their memory, now that you know your grandparents prejudice is derived from ignorance and hate?”

Ben nodded slowly and when a smile grew on Rey’s face, he smiled too.  Simply causing her to smile warmed his soul and he never wanted to make her unhappy again.

“Okay, let’s do this then.  A secret friendship.  You’re right, I can’t feel too guilty when I know they’re wrong to look down on people like you.”

“I’m really proud of you Ben,” Rey said, leaning closer to him and gazing thoughtfully into his eyes.

Ben chuckled. “Because I’ve decided to betray my family and be your friend.”

“No!” she responded, slapping his knee lightly.  She kept her hand there and he glanced down, surprised.

“Because of how you stood up to Malfoy.  Luna was right, but even without magic, you could have pummeled those guys easily.  If you had decided on that course, after what they said about your parents, I would have helped you,” she assured him.

“I believe it!”

“But you just stood your ground.  You took the high road and didn’t let them get to you.  I mean, part of me still thinks Malfoy needs to be taught a lesson in humility, but I admire the way you resisted.  He was baiting you and you didn’t fall for it.” 

Her sincerity and pride was so meaningful to him, his eyes began to water and he looked down at Rey, ready to share everything with her.  “You’re the reason I didn’t fight with him, you know.”

Rey was taken back and lowered her brow, confused. “How’s that? He was insulting me.”

“I looked at you, in that moment, really looked at you for the first time in months and thought: if I beat this kid up -  the son of one of the most respected, and powerful, families in my community, essentially ruining my grandparents’ reputation - what was the point of letting her go?”

Rey’s entire face lit up. She inhaled sharply, then smiled with an airy laugh, raised her hands to the back of Ben’s head, and pulled him forward to kiss him.  When she pulled away he was blushing and she laughed loudly, covering her mouth, and hoping no one would hear them together.

“I’m sorry.  We’re going to get caught if I don’t learn to be more quiet.”

“It’s okay,” Ben said, still enamored by the kiss.  “Can we… do that again?”

Rey smiled, a sight Ben never grew tired of, and he looked at her calmly.  That was when he knew he loved her.  He had always been in love with her and if they were ever to be parted again, it would not be his doing.

  
  


When they reached the school for their seventh year, many things had changed and the tension that existed made it even more difficult for them to be together.  The secret room they once used to meet in was being used by Muggle-born students to keep safe and eventually they decided they would be safe there too.

He knew he was basically an adult and could make his own decisions, but he had no desire to hurt his grandmother.  His grandfather died his fifth year and his grandmother was very old now.  As grim as it sounded, they simply decided he would keep his relationship a secret until she passed.  

That meant having to field questions from family about when he was going to find a “nice pureblood girl to settle down with,” but they had that covered.  He had good friends who were pureblood and he was sure to let other pureblood students see them together and speculate.  If their community was anything, it was chock-full of gossip.

Then, at the end of the year, Harry Potter returned to the school and Voldemort followed, threatening anyone in the school who knew where he was and didn’t hand him over with death.

They were gathered in the Great Hall when the voice appeared.  As soon as Voldemort’s vicious whispers entered his mind, Ben turned his head, scanning the room for Rey, and ran to her, trying to withstand the unwelcome incursion.

“Are you okay?” he asked, when the voice had gone.

“I think so,” she said.  “Are you?”

“Yes.  Come on!” he grabbed her hand, but she jerked it away.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to get you to safety.  They’re going to kill you!”

“Oh, no, they’re not!” she said stubbornly, pulling her wand from her pocket.

He gaped at her for a full minute as she raised her chin in insolence, planting her feet in the Great Hall.  Eventually he closed his mouth with narrowed his eyes, and pulled his wand out as well.  

“Fine.  You’re right.  They aren’t going to kill you.  They can’t if we work together.”

“No.  You’re not staying.  Your family is probably out there with him.  What if you end up facing one of them?”

“I’m not going to think about that right now,” he replied.  “What I do know is that at the end of the fourth year, after letting you go for two solid, wasteful, years, I promised my innocent, little fourteen year old heart that I would never leave you alone again, and I don’t intent to break that promise.  I never intend to break it, but I especially will not leave your side when you need me the most.”

Rey flung her arms around him, terrified about what they were about to face, but knowing they were going to face it together made any challenge seem achievable.

He felt her body shake with a sob and grabbed her waist to pull her away from him. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, holding her steady. “We’ll be okay. I promise.”

“I know,” she responded, smiling at him.  “I’m just so happy,” she said, laughing through her tears.

“Have you lost your mind? We’re in a war zone, you nut!”

“I know, but I feel there’s a battle we’ve already won.”

“Is that so?” he asked, smiling down at her.

She nodded.  “We’re together, in front of everyone,” she said, looking around. “And nobody cares.  Do you hear anyone complaining that you and I are in love?”

“Well, that’s because McGonagall sent all the Slytherins away,” he teased.

She chuckled, slapping his arm, and kissed him passionately, possibly for the last time.  “At least we know, when this war is over, there are more people who approve than those who would renounce you,” she said, hopefully.

“That’s wonderful, Rey, but right now… I don’t care what all those people have to say.  I love you, and not only will I never part from you again, but I won’t let anyone push our love under the rug.  I’m sorry, love.  I hope you never thought I wasn’t proud to be yours.”

“I know.  I know you wanted to protect your grandmother’s heart.”

“Well, I just don’t care anymore.  People like that don’t get to control the rest of us; their hate doesn’t deserve our care and  I will not be made to feel ashamed,” he said loudly and Rey shushed him, smiling.

“I’ll march right out there with Harry and tell Vol… that thing, right now, ‘I’m in love with a Muggleborn and I’ll destroy anyone who tries to harm her.’”

She shushed him again, pressing her fingers to his lips with one hand and slapping his shoulder with the other.  “Be quiet now!  Just because we’re joining the fight, doesn’t mean you have to go banging on death’s door,you gorgeous idiot!” she said, kissing him again.

“You two!” someone yelled from behind Ben.  

Rey and Ben pulled apart and turned so they were both facing a member of the Order of the Phoenix. 

“Yes, sir?” Rey asked, standing proudly before Kingsley Shacklebolt.  

“What year are you in?”

“Seventh,” they responded in sync.

The dark man nodded sadly and said, “Well, then… it’s your choice if you want to stay and join us, but, if not, you should find a place to hide until the battle is over.”

“We’re joining the fight,” Rey said bravely.

He looked to Ben, wondering if the young man was just as willing.

“I go wherever she goes,” he said humbly.

“Right, well, be ready.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

He nodded and walked away.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked.

“I am,” she said, grabbing his hand and turning toward the grand staircase.  “Let’s get to higher ground.  I think we’ll be safer there,” Rey said, unsure.  She didn’t move, waiting in case he had another suggestion.

Ben smiled optimistically and took a step forward. “Like I said, wherever you go...”


End file.
